Liquid-dispensing can.



NEWTON H. BULLARD, OF .MILLEIDGEVILLE, GEORGIA.

LIQUID-DISPENSING CAN.

Specification of Lettersratent. P t t d Oct. 9, 19 1"},

Application filed February 2, 1916. Serial No. 75,819.

- The present invention appertains to liquid dispensing cans, and aims to provide a novel and improved device for dispensing liquids. I i

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of a liquid dispensing can having means for filling lamps and other vessels, and provided with an audible signal whereby the operator is advised when the receivvessel is filled by the liquid'from the c in caii, so that the liquid flow may be cutoff and thus prevent the overrunning of the vessel, said signal being operated by the air i rushing into the can to permit the outflow of the liquid from the same.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a liquid dispensing can-of such construction and operation 'as' to particularly adapt it to the filling of large metal lamps, in which case'the liquid flow from the can can be checked quickly when the lamp is properly filled.

A furtherobject of the invention is the )rovision of novel et eas and convenient means for operating and controlling the present device. I

Further objects of the invention are to provide a can of the nature indicated which can be conveniently carried; to provide a dispensing can which does not necessarily need a horizontal surface to be rested upon in operation; to provide a leak proof valve for closing the discharge spout; to eliminate the necessity of a cap for closing said spout;

to provide means for holding said valve seated in thedischarge spout; and to provide a device of this nature which is 1mproved generally in its construction and dethe utility and efficiency;

thereof.

i'lVith the foregoing and other objects in view,'which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the com- 'bina'tionand arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of" the invention herein disclosed can be made 1 within the scope of what is claimed, with v I out departing from the spirit of the inven The invention is illustrated'in the accompanying drawings, wherein F lgure 1 1s a vertical section of the being shown in elevation.

Fig. 1s an enlarged'sectional detail of the air inlet means. i i

v Fig. is a plan view of:the device, por-' tions being broken away and shown in section.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail taken on the line 47-4 of Fig; 1.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig.2 illusedges with the longitudinal or vertical ridge of outstanding portion 3, the back wall 4, the upper endor top 5, and the lower end or bottom 6. The can is illustrated in operative position in Fig. 1, and the parts are described accordingly, but the can can be earned or set on a support with the wall 4 lowermost when the device is not in use.

The side walls '1 andthe front wall 2', with its ridge 3, project beyond the ends 5 and 6, so that the ends areinset, and the side walls 1 and the ends 5 and6 project beyond the back wall 4, so that said back wall is inset, and the folded rear edges of the ends Sand 6 are'bent outwardly as shown, thereby, providing outstanding flanges surrounding the'endsand back wall, for purpose of strength and protection;

The front wall 2 is provided ata suitable point,at one, side of the ridge3, witha fillingnipple 7 upon which is threaded a ble cap 8, normally closingthe fill-' disposed with the wall 4 lowermost, and it is' evident that when the can is filled the" level of the; liquid will be below the ridge.

device," taken on the l1ne 11 of Fig. 3, portions 3, and the parts which lie within the ridgef 3 will be above the liquid when the can is'in horizontal position with'the wall 4" lowermost, and when the can is being carried by'the bail handle 10', attached to the ridgeB between the ends. of the can. This handle 10 provides convenient means for 18 into the can.

carrying or handling the can. "The can can be set upon a suitable support with the lower end 6 lowermost, as seen in Fig. 71,,andw1ith the ridge 3 projecting from the support, or it can be supported from a vertical wa ll or support by means of a loop 11 attached to the'upp'er end 5 adjacent the rear edge thereof and engageable over a nail, hoolror other supporting element carried by the support, whereby the can will be hung in a vertical position from the support and will rest against the si pport It is thus possible to support the can from ,either a horizontal or a vertical support, whichever is convenient .or necessary. a,

The lower end 6 of the can is provided with ya depending discharge spout or pipe 12 below the ridge3, and the -lo-w er end of th said discharg pipe 12 h s a tapere orirusitorenical yal-ve seat 13 The spout 12 is adapted to enter the opening of a lamp or other vessel, whereby the liquid contained in the can can flow intothe Vessel from :the spout. The -ai1'.;necessary to the emptying or the can rushes up trom ,the yess l tl1roughansairit be .o n ne 1% P erably of small -,d.ia1neter, disposed within the ridge 3 and having its" lower end of arcuate cross section, as seen in section 4, and soldered or otherwise attached .to one side of the spout 12, to provide a relatively wide inlet "terminal 15 for ,the tube 1 4 which terminal 15'terminates slightly above the lower end of the spout 12 and which is adapted to enter the opening 0ft11e vessel with ,the spout. The tubell l extends through the lower end of the can immediately adjacent the spout 12, and the upper, end of the tube 14 enters an air chamber or pocket 16 with which the .can is provided therein adj aoent the upper end 5 and within the iipper end of the ridge :3. The chamber or pocket 16 is provided by 'means of a cup 171213;- tached to the upper end 50f thecan, the tube 14 extending through the bottom of the cup.- In the bottom Wall of the air chamber 16, near its posterior edge, is an opening over which is Suitably fixed a biconvex whistle 18 or audible signal of the acoustic type, through theopenings of which the air .,cha rnber communicates with ,the jnterior of the can,;the air entering through thetube 14 operating the signal as it passes from .the air chamber through ,thewhistle When thecan is in horizontal position, the said openings are lowermost, .so that any liquid within thecham- .ber'16 will drain ,out of the same into :the

bodygof the can, and the-tube 1a is arranged obliquely within the ridge 3, so as to beion an incline --fr0in .the chamber 16 when the canfis .in horizontal. position,'in order that any liquid which.;might splash into the tube 14 will fiowout of the-same byvgravity into the ,ehamberlfi' and thence back into the body of the can. The inner end of the air tube 14 projects through the bottom of the air Lcham'her nearly toithe top of the same so that any liquid in the air chamber, at the time the can is set up vertically, as in operation, Will run back through the wh-i s't'le holes into the can instead of running down ut through the air tube. lVastage of the liquid is thus prevented, it

being noted that theair chamber ,is above guides for a reciprocatory -rod20 which is slidable through said webs. The rod 20 is disposed vertical-1y and has attached to its w r .end o l Q t b la vi'rusw-con c l valve 21 movable into the spout l2 and seate upon the s 3 fo -;effie, .tive y n l ng d spo t t Pre en th d s h r v10f the liquid when not wanted. rod 20 is p i g pr ssed e -o normally closing th spout 12, to ,thisjend a coilwwireexpansion spring 22 isidisposed upon the rod and is confined between the upperweblQ and la collar 23 secured .upon the rod below said eb; whe e t spri 22 i expan ng will force the rod-2O d ownwarc lly toseat the valve 21. v V

The air inletmeansembodies a cup24: eneas d do n rd y t ough a QP l lg in the uppenend 5 of the can Within the outline of t lieyridgeg3, the rim ofsaidcup having-a flange 25 seating-orseoured upon the upper nd-5 0M1 can, a the bo om o h c p having a central aperture through which the rod 20 is slidable. cap 27 has a central aperture 28 through which said rod is slidable, said cap 27 abeing above the vcup 2 1, and a hollow ortubular'plug 2.9 isthreaded into the cup 2$and ,is provided at its upper end with an out-turned annular flange 30 soldered or otherwise secured to the rim or apron of thcfca-p 27 to provide an annular groove 31in which is fitted ,anQahnular gasketz32. YVhen theica-p27 is screwed downwardly, the {gasket ,82 is seatable upon the flange 25 and top 5.,to prevent leakage between the cup and. cap. The lower end of the plug 29 has an intiirned annular {flange 33 spaced from (the. .rod 20, and the plug 29 is provided atone side with an opening 3% to communicate with .the atmosphere when the plug 29 is unscrewed sufliciently, as seen in Fig, 2. In order to conduct air from the openingoraper-ture .34 into thecan, the rod 20 isprovidedlw ith a longitudinal slot .35 at one side, which when the rod 20.'is moved downwardly extends above and below the" bottom of the .cup 24, thereby permitting air to flow from the aperture 3 1 through the groove or slot 35 .pastthe bottom of the cup into the canto let the liquid in the tube 11$ drain therefrom. The groove 35 is so ar ranged asnot to reach the .top of the cap 27 when the valve 21 is seated. By rotating the cap 27, the position of the plug .29 is adjusted, to bring the aperture; 34 either above or belowtherim of the cup 24to establish or shut off the inflow of air, as desired. 'When the rod 20 is moved down.

.wardly to close the valve, the groove 35 is moved partially through;v the aperture 26, to the position illustrated in Fig. 2, thereby establishing communicationbetween the interior of the can and the atmosphere,.so that air can flow into thecan: and upper end of cup 24, to prevent the inflow or outflow of the tube 14 so that any liquid in the tube can flow therefrom to clear the tube. When the rod 20 is raised to open the valve, the groove 35 is moved above the bottom of the air through thegroove 35. and aperture 34 thus constraining the air to flow through the tube 14. A collar or disk 36 is secured upon therod 20 below the cup 24 audit is preferable-toprovide the collar 36' with an upper facing or gasket ,37 of leather orother equivalent material, whereby when the rod 20 is moved upwardly, eitherthe gasket 37 or the collar 36, as'the case may be, in seating against the bottom of the cup -the upper end ofthe can and havingone" will effectively close the aperture 26 to provide a tight closurethereforr The means for manually raising the rod or stem 20 embodies ahand lever 38 above end pivotally connected, as at 39, with the upper end of rod.2 0. The lever 38 is pivoted between its ends to the upper end of a triangular rocking or swinging fulcrum member 40-having a transverse rod orv pin 41 at its lower end. The protruding ends of the rod '41 are movable in'slot's 43. in upstanding flanges or members 42 secured upon the upper end 50f the can. The slots 43 are inclined upward toward the front wall or ridge .3, and: their forward ends ex tend downwardly, to provide notches 44 in which the pin.41 is seatable when the fulcrum' member 40 is brought to operative position,v as seen in Fig. 1. When the device is not in use, with the valve 21 seated,

and the upper end of the rod 20 adjacent the cap "27, the pin 41 can be lifted out of the notches 44 so as to move to the remote ends of the slots 43, and this willlet theinembers 40 move snugly1onto-the top 5 between the flanges 42 and the lever 38 will then move adjacent the top 5, thereby to provide a compact arrangement 'of the parts when they are folded. To bring the parts into operative position, the lever .38 is swung so as to pull the member 40 away fromf the can, thus pulling the pin 41 along the slots 43 into the notches 44, thereby positioning the lever 38 and its fulcrum member 40 for the operation of the device.

In operation, supposing the can to be held in vertical position either upon a horizontal support or from a vertical support, as above indicated, the lamp or vessel to be filled-is moved upwardly under the spout 12 so that said spout enters the vessel, and the rear arm of the'lever 38 is then-swung downwardly by the hand toraise the rod'2O and" its valve 21. W hen the valve 21 is moved out of the spout 12 the liquid can flow from the can through the spout into the vessel,

and the air displaced from the vessel, is

above the lower end of the spout '12, the

liquid will enter the tube 14 and this will' stop the flow of the air through the tube 14, and consequently, the audible 'signalis stopped, apprising the operator of the fact that the vessel is filled, in which event the leverr38 isreleased by removing the hand therefrom so that the valve 21 is again I seated; As above indicated, it will be noted that when the rod'20 is raised to unseat the valve 21, air cannotent'erthe can by way of the aperture 34 and groove 35 so that it must flow through the tube 14 to blow the whistle 18, but Whenthe valve is again seated,-air can enter the can byway of aperture '34 and groove 35 and then flow into the tube 14 to let back into the receiv ingvessel the liquid drawn up into the air tube 14 by. the suction after the lower end of the air tube was reached by the level of the liquid in the vessel. In this manner, the tube 14 is cleared of any liquid therein, whereby this will avoid the flow of liquid into the chamber 16 and whistle, to assure'of the proper subsequent operation of the,

whistle;

The valve 21, with its lower and smaller end secured to the lower end of the rod20, is flared or of hollow tapered form and is thin so that'when it is driven by the spring I 22 into the seat 13 it will form a perfect closure to prevent leakage, even without the assistance'of a: cap or closure upon the end of the spout 12. tube 14 is above the whistles openings in The upper end-'ofi-the' either position ofthe can, whereby any liquid flowing into the chamber 16 will flow back into the body of the can without 'pa's'sing into and on out through the-tube 14,

thus preventing wastage through the said tube and: keeping it clear ofliquid for the unrestricted flow of air through it when desired.- Whenthe can is not being used 1 the cap 27 can be screwed down to close the aperture or air vent 34, thereby preventing -leakage The vessel which has been filled should 14. from above and :let any liquid within the tube'l i flow back into the vessel. After the liquid in the vessel reaches the lower end of the air tube, duringthe fill-ingoperation, and shuts off the flow. of air through the tube,

the liquid flow from the can, if left to do so, will soon stop itself whenthe liquid level in the tube 14: reaches that in the can, but,

' since this little after-flow might overrun the vessehit issafer, generally, to stop the flow I got .the liquid as soon as the signal is stopped,

by simply letting go of the lever, so that valve 21 will be instantly seated by the spring .22.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 5,

:,the air inlet means embodies a cup 24: en-

gaged downwardly through the top 5 of the can, and having its rim bent back outwardly, as at 25, and the bottom of the-cup 24 is provided with an aperture 26. of larger diameter than the rod 2O of the valve,

whereby when the disk 36, with or without its facing 37 as thecase may be, is moved downwardly away from the bottom of the cup, the air can flow through the aperture 26 into the can, that is, when the aperture.

34 is open. The cap 27 which has an aperture 28 through which the rod 20 slides, has an extension or plug 29 threaded into the cup 24:, and the connecting portion 30 between the plug 29 and. the cap .27 provides an annular groove 31 in which is an annular gasket 32 adapted to engage against the rim 25 of the cup to provide a tight closure when the cap 27 is screwed downwardly onto the top 5. The plug 29 has an air vent or aperture 34 at one side, and has an; annular, inturned flange 83 at its lower end. This modification eliminates the use of the groove or slot in the rod, by making the aperture 26, larger in diameter than the rod. V

In both forms, rather than as shown in Fig. 2,:it is preferred, if practical, tohave the cap and plug of one piece, as illustrated in Fig. 5. V

5 Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new,is:'

l. A liquid dispensing can having a lower dischargespout, an air tube extending from the spout into the upper portion of the can for the fiow'of air into the can, a signal op eratedby the flow .of air through the tube, a valve for closing the spout, and means for admitting air into the upper portion of the can and said tube when said valve is seated andfor shutting off the fiow of air through Copies of this patent maybe obtained for manager? the upper portion of the can when the valve is imseated so that the air must flow through said tube.

2. liquid dispensing can having a {lower discharge spout, an :air tube extending fromsaid spout .into the upper portion of t'he'can for the flow of air into the can, a signal op- I eratedvby the flow of air through the tube, a valve-stem slidable through the upper portion of the can and having a valve at its lower end seatable in said spout, and means 1 whereby when the stem is-lowered' toseat the I valve, air-is admitted into the uper portion of the can andltube and when the stem is raised to unseat the valve, the flow of air into the upper portion of the can is stopped so that the air must flow through said tube.

3. A liquid dispensing can having depend ing discharge spout, an air tube extending from said spout into the upper portion 'of the can-forthe flow of air into :the can, :as'ignal operated by the how of air through the tube, a depending cup carried by the top of the can, a'val've stem slidab'lethrough the bot-f tom of the cup, a valve carried by'sai-d stein seatable downwardly in the spout, a hollow cap and plug member movable upwardly and downwardly within the cup, said plug memher having an air aperture at one side adapted to be closed by the cup when said member is moved downwardly therein; the bottom of said cup and valve stem having cooperating means for admitting air into the can when the valve stem is moved downwardly to seat the valve, and means carried by said valve stem seatable upwardly against the bottom of the cupwhen the stem is raised to prevent the flow of air between the cup and .can and constrain the air to flowthrough' the tube into the can.

4:. A liquid dispensing can having a dischargespout, a valve controlling the flow of liquid through the spout having a stem projecting above the top of the can, a lever pivoted to the upper end of said. stem and movable toward the top of the can when the valve is seated, a member carried by-the top of the can having a slot terminating in a notchat one end, and a fulcrum member pivoted to the lever and having a pin working in said slot and seatable in said notch to hold the lever spaced from the top of the can- In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses. I

' NEWTON H. BULLARD.

Witnesses H. MONTGOMERY, L. H. CHANDLER. 

